Hot, humid, and more hot. That’s how July was. What will August bring? It isn’t going to get any cooler, and we don’t expect any rain, so it feels like more of the same, only maybe a bit less humid.

Water restrictions loom, too, so we are really focused on water right now. Our native and Mediterranean climate plants should do just fine on their low-water diets through this time, as long as the plants were established. Save your water to use on growing edibles.

• It’s time for an irrigation check. Clean filters. Flush lines. Turn your system on zone by zone. Walk the zone and check for broken lines, leaks, misdirected spray heads and opportunities to switch from spray to drip.

• Let established natives and other Mediterranean drought-tolerant plants stay dry. This is the time of year when we lose them, overnight almost. Blame Phytopthera and Verticillium wilt, fungi that thrive in warm, wet soil. The best way to avoid them is to avoid watering these plants.

• Enjoy the wildlife in your garden. Hummingbirds, lizards, butterflies and other garden critters are active early in the day and around dusk.

• Whitish blotches on the leaves of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and so on are signs of too little air circulation and too much humidity. Flood plants or use drip irrigation so roots stay wet but leaves stay dry. Prune branches selectively to increase air circulation, too.

• Keep worm compost bins out of direct sunlight. When temperatures get into the 80s or 90s and the sun beats down on the black plastic bins, it can be Wormageddon.

• Figs make their big appearance at the end of this month. Pick them only once they are soft. Unlike many other fruits, figs ripen on the tree but not on the kitchen counter. Pick too early and you’ll be disappointed. Birds like figs almost as much as people do, so you might want to net your tree. Prune your fig tree as soon as you harvest the last fruits. New figs will soon form, mostly at branch tips, so if you wait to prune, you could be pruning off next year’s crop.

• It might be hot, but it’s time to think about cool-season vegetables. This is the time to buy and start seeds for beans, peas, cauliflower, dill, kale and other cooler-season crops.

In some parts of the county, there's time for one more round of summer veggies.
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In some parts of the county, there's time for one more round of summer veggies.

• Gardeners in the inland valleys and near (but not at) the coast can try for one more round of summer vegetables. It’s probably too late to start from seed, so instead plant seedlings of peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and melons.

• Harvest grapes when fruits turn plump and translucent, then taste them to see if they are sweet. Once ripe, cut whole grape clusters.

• There’s still time to solarize your lawn. Mow the lawn very, very short. Irrigate thoroughly, then cover with sheets of clear plastic. Overlap if you need several sheets and weigh down the edges. Turn the sprinklers off, then wait about six weeks for the grass and weeds to turn brown and die.